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Bayer plans to significantly expand capacities in China

"The expansion of our capacities in China is an important step in strengthening our presence in the emerging economies," explained Bayer AG's Management Board Chairman, Dr. Marijn Dekkers. "We want to increase Group sales in Greater China to around EUR 5 billion by 2015. Bayer MaterialScience (BMS) is expected to contribute at least half of this amount." In fiscal 2009, the Bayer Group in Greater China recorded sales of EUR 2.1 billion, of which EUR 1.2 billion was accounted for by BMS."The strong economic growth in China and in the whole region offers us outstanding opportunities, and we want to make the most of them," added Patrick Thomas, CEO of Bayer BMS. "For us, it is strategically important to have the necessary capacities in the Asia/Pacific region to meet constantly rising demand."Thomas emphasized that this was one of the biggest single investments to date for BMS. In terms of sales, China is the second most important country in the world for the Bayer subgroup. It is already investing EUR 2.1 billion in Shanghai as part of a long-term project lasting until 2012. Together with the now announced expansions, this means a total investment of more than EUR 3 billion. For these new projects, a memorandum of understanding has now been signed with the relevant authorities.Five production projectsFive separate projects are planned, in cooperation with Bayer Technology Services, to increase production capacity at the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park. For polycarbonate, a new facility is scheduled to be built with a capacity of 200,000 t/y. In addition, it is planned to increase the capacity of the existing plant by 100,000 to 300,000 t/y. The Asia/Pacific region currently accounts for around 60 % of the world's total polycarbonate market, with the greatest demand coming from China. The plastic is used predominantly in the automotive, electrical and electronics, and construction industries.In addition, Bayer wants to increase its capacities in Shanghai for raw materials for the production of polyurethane rigid foam, which is used, for example, to save energy throughout the cool chain as an insulant. To this end, it plans to build a new MDI plant with an annual production capacity of 500,000 t. At the same time, the company also intends to expand the capacity of its present MDI production facility from 350,000 to 500,000 t/y.A further part of this investment package is the expansion of HDI production. HDI is an important starting product for high-quality surface coatings. There are plans to expand the capacity of the existing HDI production to meet short term market demand. The construction of a further 50,000 t/y HDI production facility is also planned.Only recently, BMS announced the construction of five customer support facilities in Shanghai and three other Chinese cities. They will focus on customized production and further processing. The company has earmarked a further EUR 110 million for this project.With the expansion of its research and development center for polymers in Shanghai, BMS intends to strengthen its capability as a provider of innovative solutions. It plans to concentrate on areas in which China plays a leading global role, such as wind turbines and solar energy plants. The other research and development facilities in Europe and the USA will continue to be dedicated to further promising areas of research and to be part of the company's global R&D network.

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